Melvin is OK with Astros in West, expanded playoffs less so

A’s manager Bob Melvin doesn’t have an issue with the Houston Astros joining the AL West as soon as 2013, though the Astros will be the most distant team in the division and the division grows from four teams to five. There’s long been a belief it’s easier to win a four-team division than a five-team division – or six-team division, such as the NL Central. Eight or years or so ago, the AL West was considered one of the toughest divisions in baseball, and the NL Central the worst, so it’s all relative.

And Melvin said that the bottom line is that the math works.

Bob Melvin says thumbs up to the Astros. Ben Margot/Associated Press

“It makes sense that every division has five teams,” he told me. “I certainly understand that. I wasn’t privy to who goes where, but taking one team out of the division that has six and putting them in one with four makes sense. I don’t know what team was really going to be a perfect fit, anyway, and the travel won’t be that much more than Texas.”

Presumably, AL West teams will visit the Rangers and Astros on the same trip, minimizing lengthy flights. The major-league schedule always has some real head-scratchers scattered into every team’s season, however, so you never know.

Melvin is less enthusiastic about the expansion of the playoffs; each league will have two wild-card teams now and most likely a one-game play-in for those two clubs.

“I am kind of digesting it right now,” Melvin said. “I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the current format. I would hate it to get like basketball, where half the teams are in. I actually enjoyed it when playoff spots were at a premium, and an honor. This certainly wouldn’t take away from that, but the more you dilute it, the less chance the best team has to win.”

The A’s signed outfielder Jason Pridie to a minor-league deal this week, and Melvin said that bench coach Chip Hale, who was with the Mets last year, is very familiar with Pridie. Pridie hit .231 in 110 games with New York last season. The A’s are expected to lose their entire starting outfield – Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp, David DeJesus – on the free-agent market, and DH/outfielder Hideki Matsui also is not a lock to return, with the A’s looking to rebuild.

“He gives us depth in a position where we don’t have a lot of depth, with all or most of our free agents probably leaving,” Melvin said. “As it stands now, we’ll take more of a look at Michael Taylor, Jai Miller and Ryan Sweeney.”

Melvin said that he had some talks with Sweeney before the end of the season, and the A’s fourth outfielder made it clear he plans to win a starting spot and hang onto it.

“From our conversations, I know he’ll have a sense of urgency this spring,” Melvin said. “I know he’ll come to camp with an attitude about winning a job that he’ll keep.”

The A’s this afternoon added outfielder Jermaine Mitchell to the 40-man roster and outrighted recently acquired right-hander Evan Scribner and outfielder Cedric Hunter to Triple-A Sacramento. Former top pick James Simmons (2007) was left unprotected again, but his health problems over the past few seasons and his inconsistency will probably make it less likely that the pitcher would be snared away in the Rule-5 draft.

Right-hander Travis Banwart, 25, could be the most likely Oakland prospect to get taken in the Rule-5 draft after being left unprotected after a decent season at Sacramento that included 120 strikeouts and 46 walks.

Mitchell was a player GM Billy Beane mentioned as in the mix for an outfield job next spring, though he had knee surgery (torn meniscus) after Sacramento’s season and his status for the spring is unclear. Assistant general manager David Forst said that Mitchell is off crutches and going to rehab, however.

Mitchell’s combined Double-A and Triple-A seasons last year were impressive: a .332 average, 15 homers, 78 RBIs, 27 steals, 93 walks (and 112 strikeouts). He’s 26 and when he’s healthy, this might be the year he makes it to the big leagues.

Forst confirmed that the team has signed right-handed reliever Jim Miller, 29, and outfielder Jeff Fiorentino, 28, to minor-league deals. Fiorentino was up briefly with Oakland in 2008, during the team’s season-opening series at Japan, and he spent the 2010 seson playing in Japan. He was in the Atlanta and Baltimore systems last year. Miller spent most of last year with Colorado’s Colorado Springs team, where he put up a 5.25 ERA, but I’ve always heard that park described as a launching pad. He struck out 73 in 72 innings and walked 21.